‘Kakegawa S71’ originated from a hybridization made in February 2000 in Kakegawa, Japan. The female parent was a Calibrachoa breeding line with red-orange colored flowers and semi-creeping habit known as 0B-11. The male parent was a Calibrachoa ‘Kakegawa S52’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 15,046).
In August 2000, F1 seed was sown from this cross and eighty plants were transplanted to outdoors. These plants ranged from mounding to semi-creeping habit and orange to rose flower color. One plant with semi-creeping habit, light orange petals and red-orange petal mid-veins was selected and vegetatively propagated. In February 2001, this selection was vegetatively propagated again and evaluated in 9 cm hanging pots in a greenhouse and in an open field.
The selection was further evaluated from new vegetative plants in Salinas, Calif. during 2002. The selection was subsequently named ‘Kakegawa S71’. ‘Kakegawa S71’ was asexually reproduced by stem cuttings in Salinas, Calif. and was determined to have its characteristics firmly fixed in successive generations of asexual propagation.